The impact of prenatal stress on insulin-like growth factor-1 and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in the brains of adult male rats: The possible role of suppressors of cytokine signaling proteins

• Prenatal stress procedure causes anhedonic- and anxiety-like behavior.
• Prenatal stress enhances the brain response to inflammatory challenges evoked by LPS.
• Prenatal stress up-regulates brain IL-1β,TNF-α and IFN-γ release in adult rats.
• The SOCS-1,-2 and -3 network is altered in the rat hippocampus and frontal cortex.

Stress, inflammation and the reduced expression of neurotrophic factors are risk factors for depression. The objective of this study was to determine if prenatal stress affects IGF-1 – cytokine interactions by influencing suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) in the brains of adult rats, in basal conditions and after acute lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. We demonstrated that prenatal stress leads to depression-like behavior, decreased IGF-1, increased IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ release and disturbed SOCS-1, SOCS-2 and SOCS-3 expression in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of adult offspring. Furthermore, prenatal stress enhances the brain response to LPS-evoked inflammatory challenges.